Introduction
For me, lasagna is the ultimate Sunday dinner. It’s a labor of love, but every step—simmering the rich meat sauce, mixing the creamy ricotta, layering it all together—is part of the joy. This recipe is the classic, crowd-pleasing version I’ve perfected over the years, guaranteed to get rave reviews.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- A Crowd-Pleasing Classic: Everyone loves a good lasagna.
- Perfect for Make-Ahead: You can assemble it a day in advance and just bake it.
- Freezes Beautifully: Bake it and freeze it, or freeze it unbaked.
- Layers of Flavor: Rich meat sauce, creamy ricotta, and gooey melted cheese in every bite.
- Feeds a Large Family: This is a hearty, satisfying meal that goes a long way.
Ingredients
- For the Meat Sauce:
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1 large onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- For the Cheese Filling:
- 1 (15 oz) container whole milk ricotta cheese
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
- For Assembly:
- 12 lasagna noodles (use “no-boil” to save time)
- 2 cups (8 oz) shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Make the Meat Sauce: In a large pot or Dutch oven, brown the ground beef with the onion over medium-high heat. Drain excess fat.
- Stir in the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, basil, salt, and pepper. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat, cover, and cook for at least 30 minutes (or up to 2 hours) for the flavors to meld.
- Make the Cheese Filling: While the sauce simmers, combine the ricotta cheese, beaten egg, Parmesan cheese, and chopped parsley in a medium bowl. Mix well.
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Assemble the Lasagna: Spread 1 cup of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish.
- Arrange 3-4 lasagna noodles on top (they can overlap slightly).
- Spread half of the ricotta cheese mixture over the noodles. Top with 1/3 of the mozzarella cheese.
- Spoon 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce over the cheese.
- Repeat the layers: noodles, the remaining ricotta mixture, another 1/3 of the mozzarella, and 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce.
- Place the final layer of noodles on top. Cover with the remaining meat sauce and the remaining mozzarella cheese.
- Bake: Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 20-25 minutes, until the cheese is melted, golden brown, and bubbly.
Tips
The most important tip: Let the lasagna rest for 15-20 minutes after it comes out of the oven. This allows the layers to set, so you can get that “perfectly cut square slice” that doesn’t fall apart.